SAINT LOUIS, MO – Ozzie Smith, President of The Gateway PGA REACH Foundation announces a generous donation by the membership of Bellerive Country Club in the amount of $155,791 from the proceeds of the 100th PGA Championship.
“The Foundation is extremely grateful to the Bellerive membership for this generous donation which will support the Foundation’s work in our community. A large portion of this donation will be put directly toward one of our North St. Louis City initiative projects, specifically to help support the ongoing operational and supply needs of the Best Buy Teen Tech Center housed within the Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club of Greater St. Louis,” President Ozzie Smith shared.
PHOTOS FROM BEST BUY TEEN TECH CENTER OPENING
The Gateway PGA REACH Foundation partnered with Premium Retail Services, the Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club of Greater St. Louis, and members of Bellerive Country Club to initially attract this Best Buy Teen Tech Center to the North St. Louis City location. Other national and local companies have subsequently added their support, as well.
Ozzie Smith adds, “The Grand Opening of the Best Buy Teen Tech Center was on Thursday, February 28th at the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club of Greater St. Louis. All of us involved are excited to provide this opportunity to the kids in our community to learn and develop relevant skills for their future”.
Best Buy Teen Tech Centers, throughout the country, address the nation’s opportunity gap by offering teens free, year-round, hands-on technology access and education in an after-school setting. Over the next decade, 77 percent (1.4 million) of all U.S. jobs will require tech skills, yet only 400,000 people will be trained for these jobs. With community-based job readiness resources on the decline, Best Buy is working with local non-profit partners and local businesses to provide essential access to technology tools, training and mentorship for low-income youth from underserved communities.
About the Gateway PGA REACH Foundation
PGA REACH was created to leverage major Championship golf to create lasting sustainable impact in a community and was done so in partnership with Bellerive Country Club. The awarding of the 2018 PGA Championship was due in large part to the creation of PGA REACH; since its inception, PGA REACH has given over $1 million dollars to the St. Louis community for efforts aimed at keeping kids in school and increasing the high school graduation rate. PGA REACH, birthed in St. Louis, is now the national philanthropic arm of the PGA of America, taking its name from St. Louis.